Tip-up fishing apparatus



March 28, 1950 J. A. OBERG TIP UP FISHING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 2, 1948Johan/ x berg 3nnentor -BC WM (Ittorneg Patented Mar. 28, 1950 UNITEDSTATES FTENT OFFICE TIP-UP FISHING APPARATUS Johan A. Oberg, Worcester,Mass.

Application January 2, 1948, Serial N o. 315

This invention relates to tilt-up fishing apparatus and moreparticularly to signalling apparatus which notifies the fisherman when afish has been caught.

Fishing tilt-ups comprise a resilient signal arm whichis bent into aloop and held there by a catch. This catch is released by mechanismoperated by movement of the fish line reel when a fish hooks onto theline and rotates the reel. The signal flag may, however, be elevated toa signal position under various circumstances where no fish is attachedto the line, and it is desirable that a further signal be provided whichindicates that a fish is on the line. Moreover, the fishing tilt-upsheretofore provided have been so constructed that they tip over easily,and it is desirable to provide a construction which will remainsubstantially upright in the wind and will not be tipped over easilywhen a fish nibbles at the bait.

The primary object of this invention is to overcome such problems and toprovide a construction in which a signal is given when a fish has becomehooked and is running with the line.

A further object is to provide a support for the tilt-up which will aidin holding it upright under the normal circumstances of ice fishing.

Further objects will be apparent in the following disclosure.

Referring to the drawings illustrating one embodiment of this invention.

Fig. l is a perspective view, not drawn to scale, of the apparatus inthe set condition when ready for fishing;

Fig. 2 is a view of the device in a folded carrying condition;

Fig. 3 is a view taken at right angles to that of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged detail view of the mechanism whichreleases the spring 25 from the hood 32, but with flag 50 removed forclarity of illustration; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1. 4

This apparatus comprises a vertical upright member Iii, herein termedthe mast, which is supported on two cross arms I l and 12 when locatedin a vertical position for ice fishing. The arm I l is pivotally mountedon a central portion of the mast by means of a bolt l4 having a head anda clamping nut l5. The bolt l4 passes medially through the arm II and isso positioned relative to the upright mast that, when the reel and otherparts are assembled, the major weight of the device will be below thepivots and thus the signal mast will be held vertically. The arm [2 ispiv- 1 Claim. (CI. 43-47) oted to the arm H by means of a nail or rivetl6 which is positioned on one side of the mast and spaced therefrom sothat the two arms may be rotated into parallelism, as shown in Figs. 2and 3, and be held parallel with the mast, so that the whole device maybe assembled in a compact and easily-carried condition. When the clampis set tight, the mast cannot tip easily because of the cross members I!and i2 projecting in four directions at right angles.

A standard type of fishline reel l8 made of brass or other suitablematerial is mounted near the bottom of the mast l0 by means of a pivotformed of a nail l9 driven through the wooden mast. A bushing is locatedbetween the inner flange member 2| of the reel and the side of the mastIt so as to hold the reel in its proper location.

A primary signal indicating that a fish has been caught is provided bythe resilient fiat spring wire of suitable metal which carries a redfelt flag 26 suitably secured by means of a metal clip 21 on the upperend of the spring member 25 This flexible fiat spring wire is anextension held on the mast by means of two clips 28 that straddle itnear the upper end of the mast. The lower end of the spring wire orextension 25 has a hook or loop 29 formed therein which is adapted tohookresiliently over the beveled bottom end 30 of the mast (Fig. 3) andthus hold it down in place when a further loop 3| on the upper end ofthe fiat spring is held hooked over the top of the mast, Figs. 2 and 3show the spring member 25 in an inoperative assembled position when thedevice is to be transported.

When the device is to be used for fishing, the spring member is slidupwardly through the staples 28 as far as the lower loop 29 will permit,or to the position illustrated in Fig. 1. That is, the loop 29 slides upthe side of the mast until it has reached a position where itsresiliency holds the spring member firmly located.

The spring member with its flag 26 is bent to the position of Fig. l forfishing purposes, and the upper loop 3! is hooked over a projectingL-shaped hook 32 that is secured on the side of the mast. The hook 32 isspaced from the mast by a sufficient distance to permit the loop 3| tobe assembled near its free end. The L-shaped hook may be formed bydriving only one leg of a staple into the mast. Any lateral movementthat will slide the loop 3! off the hook 32 will permit the flag tospring upwardly to its uppermost position and thus give a signal.

The loop 3| is shoved ofi the hook 32 by means of a vertical rotarymember 35 mounted on the side of the mast where it may be rotativelyoscillated. This member is a round wire having a straight verticalportion passing through the brass sleeve 35 that is held on the side ofthe mast by means of staples 31 and 38. This brass member is filled withgrease and has its ends tapered and sealed against the wire where itpasses outwardly at its two ends, so that the grease is held permanentlyin position: and the wire may be turned freely and not be interferedwith by any ice freezing around it. It will be observed that the top ofthis sleeve is higher than the cross arms ll and 12, so that the upperend of the sleeve will be above the ice and water when the device is inuse. The lower end of the sleeve may rest in the water without iceforming on it, since the water below the surface will not freeze. Thereel and the lower end of the mast are, of course, mounted: in a holecut through theice, and the reel may likewise be in the water withoutinterference by freezing ice.

The lower end of the vertical wire member 35 has an arm 48 whichprojects outwardly at a point just. below of the brass sleeve, and thisarm projects forward to a position just clearingtheinner flange-2i ofthereel. The arm has a downwardly dependent portion ii which projects belowthe sleeve 28 that surrounds the nail 19 on which the reel is mounted. Aspring 42 securedat one end to-the mast and the other to the. cross armat: holds this arm against that sleeveZU under normal conditions. Theupper part of the rotary wire member 35 has a downwardly projecting hooki l mounted in a bearing formed by driving a staple iti into thewoodwork. This staple and the cross arm ill are so located that the wiremember 35 cannot move'far enough vertically to get out of its assembledposition.

The end 3i ofthe signal-member 2 5 is shoved off the endof theL-shapedhook 32, as shown in Figs; 1 and'e, by means of an outwardlyprojecting loop-26 located'just below the hooked end it" of the verticalwire; atthat. side of the hook-li'i whichis remote from the fre end ofthe hook 32so that any rotary motion ofthe loop as will'strike the edgeof the spring wire and shove the: end 39 01f the hook 32 therebyallowing the signal to spring upwardly toa position above the mast. Thisrotary motion-of" the wire 354s caused by a lug Mhstamped out: of thesideof the flange 2! of the reel, whichprojects into a position whererotation of the reel by the fish pulling on the line will causethat lug3 to strike the vertical arm ii of the wire 35 and move it laterally andthus rotate the wire against the pull of the spring 42. This rotation ofthe wire thrusts the spring member 25 off its hook and allows the flag28 to fly into an upward position and thus signal the fisherman thatthe-reel has been disturbed;

A primary feature of this invention comprises shaping the loop 35' asillustrated and fastening a further flag on that loop by means of asuitable clip 5!. This flag 5'0, which may likewise bemade of a piece ofred-.felt, gives a secondary and important signal when the fish isrunning with the line. Tothat end, the fish line is wound on the reel insuch a direction that as the lug ltis continuously rotated, it willthrust the arm ii outwardly and rotate the vertical arm The loop 15 islocated 35 against the action of the spring 42. This constant rotationof the wire causes the flag 5!] to wave back and forth and thus give avisible signal to the fisherman that a fish is drawing on the line. If afish should pull momentarily on the line enough to release the upperflag 26 and then escape from the hook, this secondary flag to would notmove any more, and thus the fisherman would know that the fish was notrunmine with the line.

The operation of the device has been set forth above. It will beappreciated that the cross arms i, i and i2, which are normally carriedin the ,positionsqof Figs. 2 and 3, are spread into the rectangulararrangement of Fig. 1, and the device is then mounted in a hole in theice with the end-of thefiag arm 25 caught over the hook 32. Whentheclamp nut i5 is made tight, the arm i I is held rigidly in place, andthe cross arm i2 will have been positioned at right angles or apart, andthus the two cross arms will keep the fish tilt from tipping over under;normal condi tions; In the fishing operation, the loop 3| on the springmember 25 is hooked over the hook 32, and the device is then ready-forusage. When the fish pulls on the fish line, theureel rotates and allowsthe flag 26;on-the,spring v. ire to fly upwardly, and. the little flagEll-will flap at a rate which is determinedjbythe speed: at which thefish is pulling on". the reel. This. ives a duplicate. signal to' thefisherman; and he can thus determine by noting the two 'signalstowhether a fish is on the line or'has escaped.

It will beevident that various; modifications may be madein' thisconstruction. Within the scope of my invention and the claim appendedhereto.

I claim:

A' fishing tilt up device comprising a mast, a resilient signalextensionmounted on one side of the mast in such'a positionpthat' itprojects longitudinally upward therefrom, a free ended hook on the sideof the mast;sa-id extension being adapted to berbent into ;a loop. andhave its end'releasably engagedfiby' the hook, a=fish=line reelrotatably mounted onthe mast andhaving a projecting lug; a-noscillativerotary member having an arm projecting into the "path of the lug ontherotating-reel and-having a projecting part which is moved laterallyto releasethe resilientsignal extension-from the hook when the rotarymember isjturnedby the reel, a spring having its ends secured to themast and the arm respectively:and arrangedtoreturn said arm into thepath of the lug on the reel as the latter rotates, and asignal flagsmounted on the projecting part of the oscillative member which is wavedthereby when the reel isrotated;

JOHAN A; OBERG.

REFERENGES- CITED The following references are of recordin the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 Number Name Date 443,286 Kunzel' Dec; 23, 1890479,219 1 Lane July 19, 1892 1,520,556 Beckwith Dec. 23, 1924 2,91%,346Baugh et a1. Aug. 31, 1948 2,451,693 Richards Oct. 19, 1948

